Pop Quiz: Tycho

Aidin Vaziri | Tycho, the brainchild of producer and graphic designer Scott Hansen, closed out 2016 with a bang. The ambient electronic music act performed in the middle of a storm at the Treasure Island Music Festival; released its fifth album, “Epoch”; and picked up a Grammy nomination in the best dance/electronic music album category. Tycho kicks off the new year with a world tour that begins on Saturday, Jan. 7, at the Fox Theater in Oakland, with an itinerary that will take Hansen through Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia and Singapore, before moving on to several sold-out dates in Europe. We spoke with him during rehearsals.

Q: You just released “Epoch” in September and already have a Grammy nomination. How does that happen?

A: It was surreal. It’s the only way I could describe it. How it happens, I don’t have much insight. We were aware of the cutoff date to be eligible, and I remember my record company telling me I had to have it in by the 30th of September, so I did.

Q: “Epoch” debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s top dance/electronic albums chart, rubbing elbows with artists like Justin Bieber, Calvin Harris and the Chainsmokers. Do you think electronic music has gone mainstream or the other way around?

A: I think it’s a little bit of both. People are always bemoaning the fact that electronic music is finding its way into the mainstream. To me, that’s the best possible thing. It’s going to give us a much bigger platform. It’s going to train people’s ears to these sounds so they can listen to a track even if it doesn’t have vocals.